dapperreads's Reviews (1.29k)

Okay to start - I can’t decide if I love this cover or if I hate it. I found myself just staring at it as I listened to the audio - the audio that I could not put down by the way. 

This is such a “basic” story that isn’t basic at all. It follows a teenage boy in high school and all the nonsense he gets into including meeting and befriending one of the “weirdos” in town. As the person who was the weirdo in town, I found this to be really interesting and I was never sure where it was going to go. It definitely felt like it followed the thought processes of a teenager and that made it feel more realistic. 

The narration kept us in a creepy-ish state throughout the entire story and that vibe continued through our introduction to the literal wasps in the ice cream to the ending that actually took me by surprise. 

I feel like while I didn’t love this, I definitely really enjoyed it and I think it’ll be in the back of my mind for awhile. 

I read the original Braiding Sweetgrass before the hype and I absolutely loved it. When I saw this version for young adults I decided to revisit a book I loved in a different way. 

Through NetGalley I was able to listen to the audio version and I really enjoyed it as well. It took me back to my original reading with some of the stories but others were made easier to understand and I appreciate that. I definitely feel this is a solid adaptation of an amazing book for young adults. The messages within are amazing and I can’t find anything to complain about at all. 

Having waited impatiently for this installment of the Tales of a New World Series, I have to say that I am not disappointed! While it’s been awhile since I’ve read the previous 3, I was far too excited to do a reread so I dove straight in and found myself confused. While I did catch up with plenty of book left, it did affect the enjoyability initially. 

I feel this is likely the conclusion of the saga, and it was a solid one. I enjoyed returning to the lands of each companion world and diving back into this fantasy land. The villain is by far one of my favorites and the whole series is a great build to the end. 

Definitely need to read the original 3 before this one, it’s not at all a standalone. I received the audiobook through NetGalley and while it did only have the one narrator, she did a great job with it. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As I thought, this was much better and closer to what I prefer with this secret baby trope. I definitely prefer when the secret isn’t just glossed over and everything is all fine. It also wasn’t dwelled on as much in this one and there’s a lot of drama and it felt REAL. It wasn’t the same “oh no he can’t know” that we get in the previous book (and from this trope in general), but instead it was the consequences of everyone’s actions and making the effort to actually consider the child in this mess and I appreciate that. 

I definitely enjoy the Sons of Sin bits as those boys have a hold on me that I’ll never explain. We get another cliffhanger with this one and I’m glad that I waited to read the first until I had this one in my hands since it resolved the issues I had with book one - and I had a feeling that it would. 

This cliffhanger here is crazy. I was actually shocked it was over! I was into it and turned the page and it said ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. So it snuck up on me, but I can’t really complain since it was good!

I don’t even know what to say about this other than I gave it every chance and I just didn’t like it. 

This book is trying hard to be a thriller but then there’s just sex all the time whether it fits within that part of the storyline or not - I mean, if you wanna put out a romance then just say that?? Like I’m here for it, but not in the middle of a thriller when it doesn’t make sense. It was distracting and honestly made it feel like it was all over the place but in reality it wasn’t?? I don’t know. I feel like this just wasn’t for me. 

Now when I say I gave it every chance I mean it. I received an ebook quite some time ago through NetGalley (as in I got it in 2022) and I started it then but wasn’t feeling it so I left it for later. I started it again and wasn’t feeling it but saw the audiobook was available on NetGalley and was granted access. So I started the audiobook instead thinking maybe I needed the narrator to help me out. This was not the case for this book. I will say I don’t think I’d have finished the ebook, but this was the longest 9hrs 40mins of my life. I mean that’s not true, but it FELT like it so that’s something. 

Overall I think this was a promising story that didn’t hit the mark for me. Which is fine - it happens. I definitely did like the narrator and I think she did a great job with it. 

⭐️⭐️💫

I just didn’t enjoy this. The slow pace along with the way the audiobook was formatted was just not for me. It was broken into much larger chunks than what it sounded like the physical book would have been. I think reading this rather than listening would have been more enjoyable, but it’s unlikely I’ll test that theory. 

I can’t stand the secret baby trope. I really can’t. This one is no exception. 

This trope makes me so angry and I really have trouble being objective in my reviewing of it. I like the characters and I enjoy getting that tiny peek back into Sons of Sin but seeing “x years later” in this trope is beyond infuriating. The cliffhanger ending made it slightly better because I believe that book 2 is going to make me feel less aggravated but I can’t rate this over ⭐️⭐️⭐️ just for the trope. It’s well written and just not for me. 

This grumpy sunshine romance story is absolute perfection. I’ve fallen in love with this wild group of individuals in Bordeaux, Ohio and they never cease to make me happy. 

This one features the new doctor in town, Grant, who arrives with his daughter and finds himself tethered to Jamie when he hires her to tutor his daughter. 

The usual small town atmosphere exists here and we get the different backstories of our main characters as well. I was able to enjoy the audiobook thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape and as usual the dual narrators for the dual POV really makes the story pop. There’s no struggle remembering which POV we are in the throes of and I adore these narrators together. 

I’d absolutely recommend this. While it’s a series these can definitely be read out of order or as standalones. They’re all great. 

This book ended with more emotion than I was really prepared for. I knew it was coming, it was obvious from early on this was going to be an emotional roller coaster, but I’m never prepared for that. 

With a title like Goodbye Earl, I’d say most people know exactly what happens in this story so it isn’t the main points that make this a great read, it’s the journey told that brings it to life. In the spirit of The Chicks song of the same title, we have a group of friends that were inseparable throughout high school and then life happens and they’re separated for awhile. When they reunite in Goldie for a wedding, it’s clear something is going on in each of their lives that they haven’t shared with each other yet - but not to fear, their stories unfold through a series of flashbacks along with the present day. 

Like I said this is incredibly emotional especially toward the end. I still really enjoyed it and it’s definitely worth the read. My only complaint is the overly emotional stuff and since that’s something it seems everyone else enjoys, I call this an absolute winner!

Easy 4.5⭐️

I love the way that Kiersten Modglin tells a story. There isn’t a lot of fluff and it’s a straight shot from beginning to end. This is my favorite type of story. 

This one wasn’t quite up to par for me, but I did still really enjoy it. The three different POVs with their separate narrators added to the story. We get the story from a wife and husband and then eventually their babysitter as the story progresses. The drama unfolds at a solid pace, but it was the “twist” at the end that really didn’t do it for me. 

So other than the twist at the end this was very good - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️